Full Circle
by DMBfan
Summary: It's a secret Tom and Kate have kept hidden from their children for years. A secret that will come back when a Baker is saved from muggers by a mysterious stranger. A secret that will change the Baker's lives. Rated for violence and language
1. Chapter 1

I've always been a fan about stories dealing with what secrets are kept from us. Secrets that can lead to some horrible things. This story deals with that. It's about being unable to escape fate. Please enjoy this little prologue. A lot more is explained in chapter one. Sorry that this is a little sad. I have brought the CBTD cast to 2007. So basically the movie happened during a different year. Please review. Thanks. I promise I will keep this one going. If anyone would like to co-write with me, let me know, you're more then welcome to.

FULL CIRCLE

**Disclaimed: I own nothing really. Except for Jack and Nina.**

Prologue

July 17th, 1995

Chicago, Illinois

Tom baker sighed as the rain continued to pour. He hated driving in weather like this but his friend Jack had said this was an emergency.

"Tom, do you want me to drive?" asked Tom's wife Kate as Tom made a sharp but careful turn.

"I'm fine. Besides we're almost there," replied Tom as he pulled into a parking garage., The gate was open and there was no security guard in the booth. There was only one car towards the back.

"That's them," exclaimed Kate as Tom drove towards the car. Tom's good friend, Jack Martin, was leaning against the car. His wife, Nina, was waiting inside the car. Tom parked and he and Kate got out of the car. They both jumped as a loud clap of thunder sounded. Jack didn't move.

"Jack, hey," greeted Tom as he walked towards his friend. Jack nodded hello.

""what's with this mysterious meeting?" asked Tom, confused.

"Nina and I don't have much time," explained Jack. Tom and Kate exchanged confused glances.

"What do you mean?" asked Kate.

"We have to leave. For good," replied Jack,

"I don't understand," exclaimed Tom, holding his hands out.

"I don't expect you to. We just need your help," explained Jack. Nina finally got out of the car. She was holding a baby.

"You guys had a baby," exclaimed Kate in delight.

"Is this what this is all about?" asked Tom.

"You could say that. We can't keep him," explained Jack.

"We'd like for you to adopt him," added Nina. Tom and Kate exchanged nervous glances.

"We know you recently had a miscarriage," continued Nina. Kate sighed. She had lost her newest baby about a month earlier.

"We want this little guy to have a good home. That's something we can't offer," explained Jack. Kate sighed as she looked at the baby sleeping in Nina's embrace.

"What's his name?" asked Kate. Nina smiled.

"Jacob. He's the sweetest," answered Nina. Kate looked at Tom, who was thinking the whole thing over in his head.

"You don't have to take him. We can leave him in front of the police station or a church," explained Jack. "We can't keep him though."

"It breaks our heart but we wouldn't be able to keep him safe," explained Nina, as Jacob woke up and smiled up at his mother. Nina smiled back.

"Tom, please," pleaded Jack. Tom sighed. He looked at Kate, who simply nodded.

"OK. We'll take him. Make sure he has a good home," assured Tom. Jack nodded.

"We just need to gather some things of his. One second," explained Jack. Tom nodded. Jack and Nina took their baby back to the car. Tom put his arm around Kate. They could tell Nina was having a hard time with this. After a couple of minutes, jack and Nina returned. Jack handed Tom a baby bag as Nina carefully handed her son over to Kate. Jacob didn't cry or whine. He simply smiled.

"He's kind of a fussy eat. His favorites are in the bag," began Nina.

"He doesn't cry that much. If he does put in some rock 'n' roll. For some reason that calms him," continued Jack.

"He doesn't like naps. Sometimes he won't need one. And he can entertain himself easily," concluded Nina. Kate smiled.

"He'll be loved with us," assured Kate. Nina nodded. Tom shook Jack's hand as Nina had a tearful goodbye with her son. Jack put a hand on the top of his son's head.

"Have a good life, little man," exclaimed Jack. He and Nina bid Tom and Kate goodbye and then headed for their car.

"Tom," began Jack.

"Yeah," replied Tom, turning back towards his friend.

"This never happened. You don't know us. And you won't hear from us again. This is goodbye," explained Jack. "For Jacob's sake." And with that, he got in his car and drove off. Tom and Kate stood in silence for a few seconds.

"Let's go, Kate. Jacob should get acquainted with his new brothers and sisters," exclaimed Tom. Kate nodded and followed her husband to the car. Jacob had fallen asleep, blissfully unaware that his parents were gone. Blissfully unaware that in twelve years, the life he had just avoided would come back to haunt him.


	2. Chapter 2

So this is just a character intro chapter. Some funny stuff in chapter. Next chapter will have the crap start to fly. Please review. Thanks to those who have.

Chapter 1 Jake's Life

_Twelve years later_

Jake Baker smiled as some girls waved at him as he walked past them. They giggled as he waved back. Jake was becoming very popular lately. He wasn't sure why. Maybe he was maturing in his looks. Jake's best friend in the world, Tyler Sullivan, was waiting for Jake by his locker. He had a stupid "last day of school smile" plastered on his face.

"Happy school is over?" asked Jake. Tyler grinned.

"Yep," replied Tyler.

"I could tell," exclaimed Jake, laughing.

"So you and Molly were voted cutest couple," announced Tyler as he handed the Middle School Student Survey to Jake. Every year the middle school voted on random best and worst categories. Every year it got weirder.

" So we did," announced Jake, as he stopped to look the survey over.

"Best lips. You and Molly," exclaimed Jake.

"That's right," replied Tyler, smiling.

"So you're happy you have the most ginormous lips in the school?" asked Jake. Tyler shrugged.

"Best eyes. Kelly Patrick and me," announced Jake proudly. Tyler shrugged.

"Biggest jock. Sarah and Bryce Harmon," read Jake. Tyler nodded.

"Weirdest. Tyler Sullivan and Nancy Hopper," laughed Jake. Tyler blushed. Nancy was a strange but nice girl who decorated the school to within an inch of its' life during holidays.

"So why are you and Molly winning a category in this?" asked Jake. He narrowed his eyes at his friend.

"You been hitting on my girlfriend?" asked Jake.

"No. She won't let me," answered Tyler with a devilish grin. Jake rolled his eyes.

"Don't you have a crush on Sarah?" asked Jake as he and Tyler walked towards the front of the school.

"Yeah. But she could care less," replied Tyler sadly. Jake shrugged.

"So someone has a birthday coming up next week," announced Tyler. Jake nodded.

"What are you doing for it?" asked Tyler, as he and Jake stepped out into the car line circle.

"Pool party at that country club near my house. Tons of people," answered Jake.

"Sweet. Can my brothers come?" asked Tyler, hopefully. For some reason, he got along so well with his younger siblings that he liked to take them to all different places. Jake couldn't get away from his siblings fast enough.

"Hey, Jake," greeted Molly Robinson as she walked up. She looked as radiant as ever.

"Hey," greeted Jake in return. He and Molly kissed lightly. Tyler gagged. Molly elbowed him in the stomach.

"Knock it off," snapped Molly.

"Hey, don't be hating. You and I have the best lips in school," exclaimed Tyler. Molly sighed.

"Yeah just what I want to share with you, Tyler," groaned Molly. Jake chuckled. Molly turned back towards Jake.

"Want to come swim at my house tomorrow?" asked Emma hopefully.

"Sure. Can Tyler come?" asked Jake. Molly sighed. Jake and Tyler were usually doing all sorts of things together.

"Yeah I guess. But not with his brothers. My sisters freak out when they're around," explained Molly.

"They would take offense to that," snapped Tyler, who had been eavesdropping.

"Stop being nosy," snapped Molly as she gathered her things. Her mom pulled up at that minute in her mini-van.

"I'll call you later tonight," promised Molly. Jake nodded and waved goodbye as Molly ran to her family mini-van. She was the oldest of five, mostly girls. She had two twin brothers who Jake could never tell part. Alex and Eric. Soccer fiends. They could whoop Jake and Tyler easily.

"Want to catch that new action movie tonight?" asked Tyler as he saw his mom's SVU pull up. He nodded at her to let her know he was coming.

"Sure. I'll have to ask my mom but she probably won't care. I'll call you later," assured Jake. Tyler saluted and then rushed to his car. His mom waved at Jake as she began to drive away. Jake politely returned the wave, sighing as he continued to wait. And where the heck were Sarah and Henry? School was over.

"Hey, Jake. Come on. Mom's over here," exclaimed a voice from the side of the school. Jake turned to see Henry waving him over.

"Why's she over there?" asked Jake, running towards his brother.

"Sarah was attempting a new dance move and busted her lip open on a rail," explained Henry as he and Jake headed towards the back.

"That sucks," winced Jake.

"Yeah. Blood is everywhere," explained Henry. Jake found Sarah sitting in the back of the family van, holding an ice pack on her bottom lip. Her shirt was covered in blood.

"Oh man, Sarah. I'm sorry," exclaimed Jake as he sat down next to her. Sarah nodded.

"She can't talk," explained Henry. Jake nodded. Kate arrived at that moment.

"Hey, Jake. Sorry but we got to run to the hospital," explained Kate. Jake nodded. He held Sarah's hand and did his best to comfort her as she tried to hold her lip together. What a crappy way to start the summer!

……………

Sarah's lip was messed up. Doctors were worried. The cut was deep and big. A plastic surgeon was called in to see if Sarah would need some work done. Jake and Henry sat in a boring waiting room as Kate tended to her daughter.

"Why does Sarah hurt herself as much as you do?" asked Henry.

"She's an idiot," replied Jake with a bored sigh.

"Good point," exclaimed Henry.

"This ties us for number of surgeries," explained Jake. "Five."

"Better step it up," urged Jake to himself. Henry chuckled.

"No one can beat you, Jake. I bet you're in here before the end of summer. Broken leg or arm," predicted Henry. Kate entered at that moment, looking tired and worried.

"Sarah needs surgery. Nothing big but the cut's too deep for stitches," explained Kate.

"Where is she?" asked Jake.

"Resting. Her surgery's not till tonight. I'll take you guys home if you want," offered Kate. "I know it's boring here."

"But Sarah's hurt," exclaimed Jake.

"She'll be fine. Hour max in the OR. She's had worse," replied Kate. Jake nodded. Sarah would be fine. This was a girl who had her leg broken in three places once. She'd bounce right back from this.

…………..

After bidding Sarah goodbye and wishing her luck, she assured her brothers she'd be fine and that they shouldn't waste their Friday night, Jake and Henry returned home to make plans for the night. Jake headed to his room and called Tyler, knowing he would flip that Sarah was hurt.

"What? Oh man, that sucks," exclaimed Tyler over the phone.

"I know. She'll be OK though," assured Jake. "So, movie tonight?"

"Sorry, can't. Mom and Dad are going out and I can't go out when they are. Besides the babysitter needs my help. But you're welcome to come over. We got that new multi-player shooter game. Danny will kick your butt!" replied Tyler excitedly. Jake laughed.

"OK. Mom can drop me off on her way back to the hospital. That will be in twenty minutes though," explained Jake.

"Whatever. Mom's always happy to have you here," replied Tyler. "See ya in a bit. Oh you'll probably end up sleeping over anyway so pack some things."

"OK. Bye." Tyler hung up after no doubt being ambushed by his brothers, Jake heard maniacal laughter, and Jake was forced to end the conversation. He packed a few things quickly and then zipped downstairs to find a ride. Kate was more then happy to let him sleepover just as long as he was nice to the babysitter. Jake promised that he would be. Or at least not soak something in meat.

…………..

The Sullivan house was one of the coolest places in the world to Jake. The Sullivan boys were energetic, restless, and carefree and their parents were much younger then Jake's. Mid thirties or something. Jim Sullivan was a cop and Annie Sullivan was a successful artist or something. After reluctantly kissing his mother goodbye, Jake ran up and rang the doorbell. He was greeted by Annie who informed him that Tyler was at war upstairs. Jake found Tyler wrestling with Danny, his youngest brother, in his room.

"Hey man," greeted Tyler as Danny jumped on his head.

"Need some help?" asked Jake as Danny took his brother down. Tyler signaled time out and Danny jumped up and let out a war whoop. Victory! Tyler played along with the defeat and pretended to be dead as Danny held him by the hair. He stuck his tongue out for dramatic effect and even let Danny throw his head down on the ground. Danny ran off to attack his other brother, Riley, as Tyler sat up.

"He killed me," exclaimed Tyler.

"I saw that," replied Jake. Tyler laughed.

"I always let them win. Last time they were cannibals and I was an explorer. They killed me, cooked me, and ate me. I ended up on a platter on the dining room table with an apple in my mouth," explained Tyler with a laugh. Jake laughed.

"You let them do that?" asked Jake.

"It was funny. Mom freaked," laughed Tyler.

"I bet," exclaimed Jake. Tyler smiled.

"Danny! No peanut butter!" Annie's stern but amused voice came from downstairs.

"What?" asked Jake.

"Cowboys and Indians. If you're a cowboy, Danny rips your clothes off, ties you up outside, and covers you in peanut butter," explained Tyler.

"Clothes off?" asked Jake in horror.

"Not the underwear. My brother's weird," sighed Tyler. Riley came running in at that moment, clad only in his boxers.

"Danny's crazy!" shouted Riley. He hid under Tyler's bed. Jake fought back a laugh. Danny was a nut and loved to mock terrorize his brothers. Danny burst into the room, whooping like an Indian. Tyler pointed under the bed and Danny went after Riley. Riley mocked being sliced up just so the torment would end. Annie came to the rescue as Danny crawled out from under the bed.

"Danny, baby, you won. Leave your brothers alone," ordered Annie. Danny frowned but admitted defeat. He scurried off to go find something else to do. Riley retreated to his room to go get changed.

"Ty, your father and I are going out tonight. Cindy's going to come over and babysit. Make sure your brothers don't terrorize her. She'll keep them out of your hair," explained Annie. Tyler nodded in understanding.

"I'll make dinner. Want anything special?" asked Annie.

"Shrimp pasta?" asked Tyler with a big grin. Annie rolled her eyes.

"Something special and quick and easy to make," corrected Annie. Tyler's face fell. Jake snickered.

"Jake, you want anything special?" asked Annie. Jake shrugged.

"I'll eat whatever thank you," replied Jake.

"Sloppy joes," exclaimed Tyler after thinking for a second. Annie sighed but reluctantly nodded.

"OK. But you have to clean up after Danny," ordered Annie. Tyler groaned.

"Hey, that's my final offer," exclaimed Annie.

"Fine. I'll clean up the disaster Danny makes," sighed Tyler. Jake laughed as Annie smiled and walked away.

"Shut up, Jake," snapped Tyler jokingly as he threw a pillow at Jake's head.


	3. Chapter 3

Thanks a bunch to sammywisconsinangel for helping with this chapter. Sorry for the wait. Please keep those reviews coming.

Chapter 2 Samaritan

Sarah woke up to the sound of voices. They were talking about how long it had been. How long what had been? She opened her eyes and saw the worried looks on her twin sisters faces that suddenly turned to relief.

No sooner had they realized she was awake when she was bombarded with questions.

"Guys!" She said, well, at least she tried to say it. She couldn't move her mouth, she couldn't even feel her mouth. It was almost like it wasn't there.

She reached up and touched her mouth. Pain. Yes, her mouth was still there.

As was a lot of drool.

_'Ew' she thought as she wiped her hand on the blanket covering her. Kim and Jessica gave her a look. _

_"Mom says you can't talk" Kim said. Sarah nodded. She pressed her hand to her lip one more time to make sure there was no more drool. Tears sprang to her eyes. Kim grabbed Sarah's hand and pulled it away from her face while Jessica stroked Sarah's hair. _

_"Mom says you shouldn't touch it either" Kim stated. Sarah nodded her head while the few tears that managed to escape her eyes rolled down her face. She gave them a questioning look. _

_"Mom said she'd be back, she had to go do something. Henry's in the cafeteria, he got hungry" Jessica said. Sarah nodded again. Not being able to talk really drove her nuts. _

_Kate walked into the room and rushed over to Sarah. _

_"Glad to see your awake. You don't look too happy" she stated. Sarah shook her head. _

_"You'll get used to it. Your having some more surgery tonight so why don't you get some sleep. You'll need it." Kate said. Sarah nodded and closed her eyes again. _

_In a matter of seconds she was sound asleep again where the pain couldn't get to her._

……………

"Is she OK?" Jake held the phone closer to his ear so he could hear Jessica.

"Well that's good. Ok thanks for calling. Later." Jake hung up after receiving an update on Sarah's condition. He returned to the living room where Tyler was getting his butt kicked by Riley.

"You killed me again!" exclaimed Tyler as he handed the controller to Danny. Riley grinned as he and Danny started to do battle. Tyler scooted back to be with Jake.

"How's Sarah?" asked Tyler, genuinely worried.

"She's ok. Having some more surgery tonight. She really messed her lip up," explained Jake.

"She's having another surgery?" asked Riley in shock as he and Danny shot at each other. Riley groaned as Danny won and Riley's character slumped over. The game would normally be bloody but the boy's father had turned off the gore effect. Jake scooted forward and took over. Danny was a madman and made quick work of Jake, making him fall into a pit of lava.

"Next," announced Danny as Tyler scooted forward. Jake sighed and went back to sit with Riley. Cindy the babysitter found the whole thing funny and laughed as Tyler was blown up by a mine.

"Daniel Elliot Marshall, you play dirty!" exclaimed Tyler as Riley stepped up.

"Whatever Connor William Marshall," shot back Danny. The game was paused as Jim and Annie Marshall came down the stairs, dressed and ready to go. Jim gave Cindy some money for a pizza and reminded the boys that they had already eaten dinner. Annie kissed her boys goodbye and then she and Jim headed off to dinner. As they pulled out of their driveway they didn't notice the black sedan sitting quietly down the darkened street.

……………

Sarah cried as her lip was covered in disinfectant. Kate held her hand through the whole procedure. The nurse finished and stepped back. Kate smiled down at Sarah as a gas mask was held over Sarah's face.

"We'll be waiting for you, baby," assured Kate as she stroked Sarah's hair. Sarah nodded in understanding before her eyes rolled back in her head and she drifted off. Kate quickly kissed her daughter on the forehead and then left her in the hands of the surgeons. Kim and Jessica were quietly talking when Kate showed back up. She was surprised to find Nora waiting for her.

"Nora? What are you doing here?" asked Kate.

"Um, there was some weird calls on the answering machine. I tried calling Dad but his cell phone is off," began Nora, as she and Kate sat down.

"Phone calls?" asked Kate, confused.

"Yeah. A man's voice. Kind of distorted. Says he really needs to talk to you about Jake. He called like five times. I was getting a little creeped out," explained Nora. Kate felt her heart skip a little. A creepy guy was calling about Jake.

"You didn't recognize his voice?" asked Kate, getting a little concerned.

"No. But I thought you should know about it right away. I left Charlie in charge of holding the fort down. What does this guy want with Jake? Do you think this could be about his adoption?" asked Nora in a whisper.

"I don't think so. His adoption was easy. No one caused any trouble," replied Kate softly.

"Maybe one of his birth parents is causing a stir. Trying to scare us. Who's his father?" asked Nora, getting interested. She had always been the Baker kid with the most interest in Jake's adoption, even more so then Jake. He only cared that he lived with a family that loved him.

"Nora, I don't really know. We never met him or Jake's mom. We were just told that they loved their son very much but they couldn't give him the loving home he deserved," lied Kate, hating herself for lying to Nora. But no one could know about Jack and Nina. Not ever.

"Well I think we need to figure this out as soon as possible. This guy was really creepy," explained Nora.

"I'm sure it's just a misunderstanding," assured Kate with a smile, trying to assure herself and Nora at the same time. In the back of her mind, she thought maybe, just maybe, there was some way that Jack and Nina were back. And if so, what did they want?

……………….

"Yeah. Yeah!" Riley let out a whoop as he finished Danny off in the game. Danny groaned and handed the controller over to Jake, who scooted forward to take on the current reining champ Riley. He had been undefeated for ten straight games.

"Think you can take me, Jacob?" asked Riley with a sneer.

"I can only try," replied Jake as he tried to collect as much ammo as possible. The level had changed from a lava filled world to a large warehouse carved into a snowy mountain. It was the level Riley played the most so he was expert at moving through nooks and crannies. As the boys continued with their high intensity tournament there was a sudden sharp knock at the door. Cindy put the magazine she had been leafing through down and went to go answer it, thinking it was her pizza. Sure enough there was a pizza guy standing on the front porch when Cindy looked through the peephole. Smile she opened the door to greet him. Suddenly she was forced inward by a punch. The boys jumped up as three strange men entered the house. Two of them went over to the boys as the leader dealt with Cindy and the poor ill-fated pizza guy. The boys weren't given time to scream before their mouths were duck taped and they were tied up and forced to sit. Cindy and the pizza guy were tied up and forced to sit as well.

"So, here we all are," began the lead thug. Danny was whimpering and crying and a wet spot formed in the front of his pants.

"Kid, if you don't shut up I'm going to give you something to cry about," warned the lead thug. Danny whimpered one last time but shut up.

"Much better," said the main thug, grinning an ugly toothy grin. Jake felt his heart going a mile a minute. This was a nightmare. It had to be. How could this be real?

"Now we have some business to attend to boys. One of you has some talking to do," explained the leader. Jake winced as the duct tape was ripped off his mouth.

"Jacob?" asked the leader, glaring at Jake.

"How do you know my name?" asked Jake, feeling like he was betraying his friends for some reason.

"Don't play games, Jacob," warned the leader. Suddenly Riley cried out as he picked up by his hair and dragged over to a table.

"Start talking or your friend here gets a table corner to the gut," snapped the leader.

"Who the hell are you?" asked Jake, terrified. He winced as Riley's stomach was slammed into the sharp corner of the table. Riley let out a pained and muffled cry as he fell on his back. He screamed again as one of the other thugs kicked him in the stomach. Tyler was yelling at the thug as Danny balled his eyes out.

"Leave him alone! I have no idea what you're talking about!" screamed Jake as loud as he could. Riley was gagging now as the kicks kept coming. He started choking a little. Tears were flowing down his face. Suddenly his attacker was hit in the head with a devastating punch. The man dropped instantly. The new intruder rushed at the second henchman, slamming him into a wall and then pounding his head against the plaster. The man slid to the floor as blood trailed down behind him. The intruder went over to Riley and ripped the tape off his mouth. A massive amount of blood flowed out of Riley's mouth, freeing his airways. The leader took out a knife and rushed at the intruder. The intruder grabbed his arm and broke it with one swift move. He then slammed the leader's own knife into his gut. The leader fell to the ground. The intruder looked up as sirens drew near. Quickly untying Cindy, he was gone as quickly as he had come. Cindy untied Jake and then rushed over to Riley. Jake busied himself with untying everyone else. Tyler and Danny raced over to Riley, who was untied and crying. They held his hands as help arrived. The intruding Samaritan had vanished.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 3 The Return

Riley was not in good shape. He cried the whole way to the hospital. Paramedics had to sedate him a little. Tyler and Danny sat on either side of him, holding his hands. Riley wanted his mom so bad right now. The pain was too much.

"Hang in there, Riley. We're almost there," assured Tyler. Jake was riding with Cindy. It had been his idea for Tyler and Danny to go with Riley. He needed them there for support.

"Mommy," cried Riley. He was becoming delusional now.

"Mom's at the hospital waiting for us," answered Tyler. Riley simply cried in reply.

"It's OK, pal. Everything's going to be OK," murmured Tyler. God did he hope he wasn't lying.

……………

Riley loved sports, video games, and school. He was one of the sweetest boys in the world. So Annie was clueless as to why someone would want to hurt him. She and Jim paced in front of the ER doors as patiently as they could. Jim was fuming. He wanted to be out tracking down who had done this but some sort of hero had come to Riley's rescue. Jim's duty now was to be with his middle son. The doors burst open at that moment. Riley saw his mother and reached out to her. Annie happily went over to him and held his hand as he was talking into the ER. Tyler and Danny ran over to Jim. Danny started crying so Jim picked him up. Tyler was remarkably calm.

……………..

Jake found his mother waiting for him. He fell into her embrace, letting the tears come. He tried to say something but all that came out were choked sobs. He cried so hard he started to gasp. Kate sat him down and rubbed his back to calm him. He had been the target of the attack. A mysterious stranger had saved him. There was no other explanation as to what was going on. The people who Jack had been hiding Jake from had found him and Jack knew this. He was here in Chicago. No other explanation made sense.

"Is Riley OK?" asked Jake after a few minutes of sobbing.

"He's in the ER now, baby," replied Kate.

"Are they going to have to operate?" asked Jake as he wiped tears off his face.

"I don't know. I haven't heard anything else," answered Kate.

"How's Sarah?" inquired Jake as he wiped off his face. He hadn't cried that hard since he broke his arm a few months earlier.

"In surgery right now. She should be done soon. They fixed her lips," replied Kate.

"That's good," exclaimed Jake, leaning back into Kate's embrace. He acted tough a lot but he was still just a little boy. Sometimes he needed his mother. Tyler showed up, his face tear stained. Jake sat up, now a little embarrassed.

"How's Riley?" asked Jake.

"Not good. Those jerks really hurt him. He's going into surgery so they can look through his belly," explained Tyler.

"I'm sorry, man," groaned Jake.

"You OK?" asked Tyler as he sat down. Kate rubbed Jake's back and then left so the boys could have some privacy.

"Yeah. Just a little freaked out," explained Jake. "Those guys were after me."

"They must have been mistaken. They thought you were another Jacob," offered Tyler. Jake shrugged.

"So is Riley OK?" asked Jake. Tyler nodded.

"He's had surgery before. This is his third time," explained Tyler.

"But that was what? Appendix and tonsils?" asked Jake.

"Yeah. He's not scared anymore though. Mom's with him now so they can put him to sleep," explained Tyler.

"Good," replied Jake. "That's' real good." The friends sat in silence, not sure of where to go or what to do.

……………

Sarah tried to move her lips as she was wheeled to recovery. Her mouth was totally numb. This sucked. She tried one stupid dance move and ended up needing surgery on her lips. Awesome. Good thing she wasn't trying anything really complicated. Who knows what she could have managed to do? Sarah did her best to smile when she saw her mother, Kim, and, Jessica waiting for her. It was nice to see family right now. Sarah felt so miserable.

"How you feeling?" asked Kate, as she put a hand on Sarah's forehead. Sarah gave a thumbs down sign with her hand.

"You'll feel better soon. Your lips have been fixed," assured Jessica.

"We talked to your surgeon ourselves," added Kim. Sarah would have smiled if she had any control over her lips. Kim and Jessica always made sure they talked to the doctors whenever a Baker got hurt.

"You want anything? Magazine? Book?" asked Jessica. Sarah shook her head. She only wanted sleep.

"Mrs. Baker," announced a nurse as she walked into Sarah's room.

"Yes," replied Kate, a little confused. Was Jake asking for her?

"Phone call for you downstairs. Sounded urgent," explained the nurse.

"I'll be down in a second, thank you," replied Kate. The nurse nodded and left.

"Girls, you'll take care of your sister?" asked Kim. Kim and Jessica nodded in unison. Kate knelt down and kissed Sarah on the forehead,

"I'll be back soon," assured Kate. Sarah nodded. Kate walked briskly towards the elevator. Maybe Nora was calling about that weird guy. No, then she would leave her name. Suddenly someone reached out of a room and grabbed Kate. A hand went over her mouth before she had a chance to scream. The door to the room slammed shut and Kate was plunged into blackness.

"Kate, Kate, relax. It's me! It's Jack!" Kate calmed down as she recognized the voice. My God it was Jack.

"I'm going to take my hand away. Please don't scream," explained Jack. Kate nodded. Jack took his hand away. Kate spun around as Jack clicked on the lights. He looked like he hadn't aged a day, save for the slight beard.

"Jack, what are you doing here?" asked Kate.

"It's not safe anymore," explained Jack.

"What?" asked Kate.

"It would have ended badly tonight if I hadn't stepped in," continued Jack. So it had been him.

"Tell that to Riley Marshall," snapped Kate.

"I did my best," replied Jack.

"I'm sorry, Jack. I didn't mean to…." Jack held up his hand.

"I need to get Jake to a safe place," exclaimed Jack.

"He doesn't know you exist," explained Kate.

"Does he know he's adopted?" asked Jack.

"Yes. We told him his birth parents wanted him to have the best life possible and they couldn't give him that. Jake thinks we never met," replied Kate. Jack smiled. Kate and Tom had followed his instructions to a tee.

"Where's Nina?" asked Kate. Jack's face fell.

"She was killed in Paris six weeks ago. I've been on the run ever since," explained Jack gruffly.

"Oh God, I'm so sorry, Jack," whispered Kate.

"It was fast. Explosion in a subway. She was the only passenger," explained Jack.

"Accident?" asked Kate. Jack shook his head.

"The people who we ran from hired some European radicals to bomb the subway. They would have nailed me if I didn't figure it out in time," replied Jack.

"And now they're after Jake?" asked Kate. Jack nodded.

"I'll do whatever you want me to do," assured Kate. She hoped it wasn't too late.


End file.
